The origins and ends of giftedness.
TL;DR: Few gifted children go on to become adult creators because the skills and personality factors required to be a creator are very different from those typical of even the most highly gifted children.
Abstract: Five issues about giftedness are discussed. First, the origins of giftedness are explored. The view that giftedness is entirely a product of training is critiqued. There is indirect evidence for atypical brain organization and innate talent in gifted children: Many gifted children and savants have enhanced right-hemisphere development, language-related difficulties, and autoimmune disorders. Second, the intense motivation of gifted children is discussed. Third, it is argued that gifted children have social and emotional difficulties that set them apart. Fourth, evidence for the often uneven cognitive profiles of such children is presented. Finally, the relationship between childhood giftedness and "domain" creativity in adulthood is discussed. Few gifted children go on to become adult creators because the skills and personality factors required to be a creator are very different from those typical of even the most highly gifted children.
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TL;DR: The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in the authors' knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
Abstract: A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions promises to improve quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless, The exclusive focus on pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline results in a model of the human being lacking the positive features that make life worth living. Hope, wisdom, creativity, future mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance are ignored or explained as transformations of more authentic negative impulses. The 15 articles in this millennial issue of the American Psychologist discuss such issues as what enables happiness, the effects of autonomy and self-regulation, how optimism and hope affect health, what constitutes wisdom, and how talent and creativity come to fruition. The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in our knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
12,650 citations
Cites background from "The origins and ends of giftedness...."
...Ellen Winner (2000). Her definition of giftedness is more inclusive than the previous ones: It relates to children who are precocious and self-motivated and approach problems in their domain of talent in an original way....
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Book•
16 Apr 2010
TL;DR: Conceptions of Giftedness as discussed by the authors is a collection of eighteen essays by distinguished contributors to theory and research on the notion of giftedness in both children and adults, focusing on how it can be measured and developed in both adults and children.
Abstract: Talent is arguably the most precious natural resource a society can have. The purpose of this book is to present alternative conceptions of just what giftedness is how it can be measured, and how it can be developed in both children and adults. Conceptions of Giftedness consists of eighteen chapters by distinguished contributors to theory and research. It is divided into six parts. The first, an editorial introduction, offers a 'map of the terrain', and puts the chapters that follow in unified perspective. The second part addresses educationally -based conceptions of giftedness; the third, cognitive-psychological approaches; the fourth, developmental theories; the fifth, domain-specific aspects - mathematics and music. The final part, an integrative concluding chapter, discusses points of overlap and differences among the various positions. Conceptions of Giftedness brings together in one place, for the first time, comprehensive and readable statements of the main contemporary points of view by their leading exponents.
994 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that positive interventions are justifiable in their own right and may usefully supplement direct attempts to prevent and treat psychopathology and may covertly be a central component of good psychotherapy as it is done now.
Abstract: Positive psychology is the scientific study of positive experiences and positive individual traits, and the institutions that facilitate their development. A field concerned with well-being and optimal functioning, positive psychology aims to broaden the focus of clinical psychology beyond suffering and its direct alleviation. Our proposed conceptual framework parses happiness into three domains: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. For each of these constructs, there are now valid and practical assessment tools appropriate for the clinical setting. Additionally, mounting evidence demonstrates the efficacy and effectiveness of positive interventions aimed at cultivating pleasure, engagement, and meaning. We contend that positive interventions are justifiable in their own right. Positive interventions may also usefully supplement direct attempts to prevent and treat psychopathology and, indeed, may covertly be a central component of good psychotherapy as it is done now.
914 citations
13 Jul 2004
TL;DR: Dai et al. as discussed by the authors presented an integrated understanding of Intellectual Functioning and Development in Motivational and Affective Contexts, including the role of affect in cognitive processing in academic contexts.
Abstract: Contents: Preface Part I: Introduction DY Dai, RJ Sternberg, Beyond Cognitivism: Toward an Integrated Understanding of Intellectual Functioning and Development Part II: Cognition in Motivational and Affective Contexts CS Dweck, JA Mangels, C Good, Motivational Effects on Attention, Cognition, and Performance EA Linnenbrink, PR Pintrich, Role of Affect in Cognitive Processing in Academic Contexts S Hidi, KA Renninger, A Krapp, Interest, a Motivational Variable That Combines Affective and Cognitive Functioning Part III: Intelligence and Personality: From Psychometrics and Personal Dynamics PL Ackerman, R Kanfer, Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Aspects of Adult Intellect Within a Typical and Maximal Performance Framework G Matthews, M Zeidner, Traits, States, and the Trilogy of Mind: An Adaptive Perspective on Intellectual Functioning MA Brackett, PN Lopes, Z Ivcevic, JD Mayer, P Salovey, Integrating Emotion and Cognition: The Role of Emotional Intelligence Part IV: Development of Intellectual Competencies J Pascual-Leone, J Johnson, Affect, Self-Motivation, and Cognitive Development: A Dialectical Constructivist View G Labouvie-Vief, MM Gonzalez, Dynamic Integration: Affect Optimization and Differentiation in Development PA Alexander, A Model of Domain Learning: Reinterpreting Expertise as a Multidimensional, Multistage Process N Charness, M Tuffiash, T Jastrzembski, Motivation, Emotion, and Expert Skill Acquisition Part V: Intellectual Functioning and Development in Social and Cultural Contexts BJ Zimmerman, DH Schunk, Self-Regulating Intellectual Processes and Outcomes: A Social Cognitive Perspective D Perkins, R Ritchhart, When Is Good Thinking? J Li, KW Fischer, Thought and Affect in American and Chinese Learners' Beliefs About Learning DY Dai, Epilogue: Putting It All Together: Some Concluding Thoughts
339 citations
TL;DR: The authors showed that deliberate practice is not sufficient to explain individual differences in performance in the two most widely studied domains in expertise research (chess and music) and proposed a theoretical framework that takes into account several potentially relevant explanatory constructs.
268 citations
Cites background from "The origins and ends of giftedness...."
...…that “Ericsson and Krampe's research does not really establish the case that a great deal of practice is sufficient for great talent” (p. 324), and Winner (2000) observed that “Ericsson's research demonstrated the importance of hard work but did not rule out the role of innate ability” (p. 160)....
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References
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TL;DR: The ten-year edition of the 10th anniversary edition as mentioned in this paper is devoted to the theory of multiple intelligences and its application in the socialization of human intelligence through Symbols Implications And Applications.
Abstract: * Introduction to the Tenth Anniversary Edition Background * The Idea of Multiple Intelligences * Intelligence: Earlier Views * Biological Foundations of Intelligence * What Is an Intelligence? The Theory * Linguistic Intelligence * Musical Intelligence * Logical-Mathematical Intelligence * Spatial Intelligence * Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence * The Personal Intelligences * A Critique of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences * The Socialization of Human Intelligences through Symbols Implications And Applications * The Education of Intelligences * The Application of Intelligences
11,512 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1983
TL;DR: The Tenth Anniversary Edition of Intelligence explains the development of intelligence in the 21st Century through the applications of language, linguistics, mathematics, and more.
Abstract: * Introduction to the Tenth Anniversary Edition Background * The Idea of Multiple Intelligences * Intelligence: Earlier Views * Biological Foundations of Intelligence * What Is an Intelligence? The Theory * Linguistic Intelligence * Musical Intelligence * Logical-Mathematical Intelligence * Spatial Intelligence * Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence * The Personal Intelligences * A Critique of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences * The Socialization of Human Intelligences through Symbols Implications And Applications * The Education of Intelligences * The Application of Intelligences
9,611 citations
Additional excerpts
...Underlying mathematical but not verbal giftedness are spatial abilities (Benbow & Minor, 1990; Benbow, Stanley, Kirk, & Zonderman, 1983; Casey & Brabeck, 1989; Gardner, 1983; Hermelin & O'Connor, 1986; Krutetskii, 1976)....
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TL;DR: A theoretical framework is proposed that explains expert performance in terms of acquired characteristics resulting from extended deliberate practice and that limits the role of innate (inherited) characteristics to general levels of activity and emotionality.
Abstract: because observed behavior is the result of interactions between environmental factors and genes during the extended period of development. Therefore, to better understand expert and exceptional performance, we must require that the account specify the different environmental factors that could selectively promote and facilitate the achievement of such performance. In addition, recent research on expert performance and expertise (Chi, Glaser, & Farr, 1988; Ericsson & Smith, 1991a) has shown that important characteristics of experts' superior performance are acquired through experience and that the effect of practice on performance is larger than earlier believed possible. For this reason, an account of exceptional performance must specify the environmental circumstances, such as the duration and structure of activities, and necessary minimal biological attributes that lead to the acquisition of such characteristics and a corresponding level of performance. An account that explains how a majority of individuals can attain a given level of expert performance might seem inherently unable to explain the exceptional performance of only a small number of individuals. However, if such an empirical account could be empirically supported, then the extreme characteristics of experts could be viewed as having been acquired through learning and adaptation, and studies of expert performance could provide unique insights into the possibilities and limits of change in cognitive capacities and bodily functions. In this article we propose a theoretical framework that explains expert performance in terms of acquired characteristics resulting from extended deliberate practice and that limits the role of innate (inherited) characteristics to general levels of activity and emotionality. We provide empirical support from two new studies and from already published evidence on expert performance in many different domains.
7,886 citations
"The origins and ends of giftedness...." refers background in this paper
...Although Ericsson and his colleagues (Ericsson et al., 1993) consider the stories of early (pretraining) achievements of child prodigies to be unreliable, there are simply too many such reports that are too consistent with one another for them to be easily discounted....
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...Ericsson et al. (1993) showed that levels of expertise in piano, violin, chess, bridge, and athletics correlate directly with the amount of deliberate practice....
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...Most people in our culture subscribe to the nativist view of giftedness, in which giftedness is believed to be a product of inborn high ability....
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...The same criticism can be leveled at the work of Ericsson and his colleagues (Ericsson et al., 1993)....
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...However, a careful look at the descriptions of these eminent individuals as children shows that at a very young age, prior to any regimen of training or deliberate practice, signs of unusual ability were present....
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Book•
01 Jun 1996TL;DR: Csikszentmihalyi as mentioned in this paper used 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists to politicians and business leaders, poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research on the subject to explore the creative process.
Abstract: Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. The author's objective is to offer an understanding of what leads to these moments, be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab, so that knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists to politicians and business leaders, poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. Most important, he clearly explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world."Accessible and enjoyable reading." "--Washington Times" "Although the benefits of this study to scholars are obvious, this thought-provoking mixture of scholarly and colloquial will enlighten inquisitive general readers, too." "--Library Journal (starred review)"
5,589 citations
"The origins and ends of giftedness...." refers background in this paper
...First, case studies of creative people such as those by Csikszentmihalyi (1996), Gardner (1993a), and Gruber (1981) show that all great achievement is associated with years of deep and prolonged work....
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...They are restless, rebellious, and dissatisfied with the status quo (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; Gardner, 1993a; Simonton,...
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01 Oct 1935
4,210 citations
"The origins and ends of giftedness...." refers background in this paper
...Individuals with dyslexia show no spatial advantage on a wide variety of spatial tasks, including spatial visualization, mental rotation, spatial memory, visual scanning, and spatial orientation (Malinsky & Winner, 1999; Winner et al., 1999; for an exception, see yon Karolyi, 1998b, 1999)....
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